HAMILTON – Sporting pink uniforms in conjunction with its Breast Cancer Awareness Day, the Colgate women's lacrosse program battled Army for a Patriot League Tournament berth on a beautiful night at Beyer-Small '76 Field. In Colgate's 12-9 loss to the in-state rival,
Tara Atkinson surpassed 100 career points while Colgate clinched a spot in the postseason.
Army was first to get on the board by capitalizing on a free position shot nearly 4:00 into play, but the game was tied minutes later with a low shot to the goal by the Raiders'
Jacklyn Hooey. In what became a back-and-forth game, Army quickly regained its lead at 2-1 before
Tara Atkinson responded for the Colgate squad. In her first of three goals on the night Atkinson sped out from behind the net, swerved around a defender and turned to the crease to scoop the ball low to the goal for her 100th career point and the tying tally.
Hooey and Atkinson paired up yet again for a similar scoring play to Colgate's opening goal, earning the Raiders' first lead of the night. While the Raiders were able to defend its lead for a significant portion of the first half, Army swooped in to tie the game with under 8:00 remaining. Another low play to the net resulted in the Black Knights gaining a 4-3 advantage before capping off the first half scoring with a high shot on another free position chance with 45.3 before the horn.
As the Raiders have done all season, they came out of halftime with strong play in the second half as
CC Telesco put them within one by scoring on a free position opportunity. Shortly after
Danielle Van Calcar tied the game with a high goal across the arc, Army stifled the comeback by regaining its lead yet again with a long shot inside the near post.
Free position chances was the name of Army's game as the Knights built an 8-5 lead by scoring on another with the man-up advantage. Snapping Army's four-goal scoring streak was Van Calcar as she received a feed from behind the net by
Kyra Weiner and sent it over the defenders to the top of the goal looking to bring the momentum back on Colgate's side.
Colgate's second half drive continued as
Noelle Patterson dodged through traffic to put the Raiders back within two, but Army recovered its three-goal lead just a minute later. Although Atkinson sealed her hat trick in the final minutes looking to push the scoreboard back in Colgate's favor, Army's four-goal run at the start of the half effectively put the Knight's ahead for the 12-9 final.
STATISTICAL STANDOUTS
• Behind her three goals and five-point performance, senior
Tara Atkinson surpassed 100 career points. Her opening goal marked point number 100, while she now holds 103 in her career by 56 goals and 47 assists.
• By notching a pair of goals in the opening half, freshman
Jacklyn Hooey holds 11 on the season, which tops the freshman class. It marked Hooey's third multi-goal game of the season and second in the last three games.
• Freshman
CC Telesco tallied her fourth goal of the year and since scoring her first career goal against Lehigh (April 6), she extends to a three-game scoring streak.
• Earning her sixth multi-goal game of the season, sophomore
Danielle Van Calcar posted a pair of goals for 22 on the year. With her tallies, Van Calcar extends to a career-long six-game scoring streak.
• Finding the back of the net for her team-leading 29th time this season,
Noelle Patterson has now scored in all 14 games this season. Patterson also led the Colgate squad by winning five draw controls on the night.
• Colgate was clean in its offensive play, keeping to seven turnovers compared to Army's 18. On the charge the Raiders had a perfect 21-21 drive on clear attempts down the field.
THE BOTTOM LINE
• Army West Point 12, Colgate 9
RECORD UPDATES
• Colgate holds a 6-8 record, and a 4-3 mark in Patriot League action.
• Army is 11-4 overall on the season, and is 4-3 in Patriot League play.
COACH BEVILLE'S TAKE
"Unfortunately being a second-half team bit us in the butt tonight. We fought hard until the end but it wasn't enough to handle Army. There are always lessons to learn from a loss and we have an opportunity to fix our mistakes and play a better 60:00 game on Saturday.
"I also want to give a quick thank you to everyone who attended tonight's game and helped us raise money and bring awareness to breast cancer. It was a beautiful night on Beyer-Small and while we didn't walk away with a win, it is always great to play for something bigger than ourselves."
UP NEXT
Colgate continues Patriot League play on Saturday when it travels to Baltimore to face No. 10 Loyola. The Raiders then conclude the regular season on Friday, April 26 at Lafayette.
With tonight's results, the Raiders clinched a berth into the 2019 Patriot League Tournament. Seeding is yet to be determined based on the results of the regular season's two remaining games.
FOLLOW THE RAIDERS
For more information on the Colgate women's lacrosse program, follow the Raiders on Twitter @ColgateWLax and on Instagram at ColgateWLax.
